'Pizza kind of chose me'

What are the challenges facing Fat Jack's Pizza?

The biggest challenge we face is finding good, dependable employees. Even with so many people out of work, most people who want to work are working. That's probably our biggest challenge. We address that challenge by maintaining our long-term employees.

How do you move your business forward?

I'm not crawling into a shell. We're expanding right now and looking at a third location, but we're going slow. You can't stop. Life goes on. That's part of what's wrong with the economy right now. People aren't buying the things that they need. You have to live within your means, but you can't just quit spending or the economy goes stagnant, and that's exactly where we're at right now.

What lessons are we learning?

I think people have to remember to not spend more than they make. The government bailout is not heading in the right direction. Let the free market rule itself. We're not going to sacrifice quality of product here, but we're watching our expenses as closely as we can.

How do you keep your associates motivated?

Most of them are happy to be working. I have a lot of long-term employees. I think they're treated well here. It's not a bad place to work - we have a 401(k), vacations and insurance. Every day it can be different. It's not a boring job, and that comes from dealing with the public. It's never a dull moment.

How about yourself?

That can be tough after 34 years. Our expansion has gotten me motivated again. I want to grow but not too fast. I've got great employees and don't want to weaken the other stores to add a third location.

How does the current downturn compare with other challenges you've faced during your career?

Business times were tougher in the early 1980s with 17.5 percent interest rates. It's challenging now, but it's easier to expand now because interest rates are lower. But we have the challenge of a struggling economy. It's hard for me to think about a third location if the economy keeps going down. The banks expect near perfect credit and they expect you to pay it back. Imagine that. I think the thing that worries me most about expanding now is the government. If we become a nationalized nation, big government will not be good for a business climate.

I noticed there are a lot of pizza joints in the area. How do you cope with competition?

I don't worry too much about the chains. They do take food dollars away, but our product is better. What we offer for the money is better. You can feed your family here reasonably and with a thin crust it's a healthier, well-rounded meal.

How is your business weathering the current economic downturn? Do you find that eating out is one of the luxuries people cut when money is tight?

All in all business isn't bad. Our pizza is still a good value and with gas prices going down people spend more on eating out. Last December was our best month ever. When gas prices were $4 a gallon, people had less to spend on eating out.

What's your most popular pizza topping? What's your weirdest pizza topping?

Pepperoni is the most popular. One of strangest requests was a customer years ago who would call and we'd get a bag of cashews out of the carry-out and put it on the pizza. I like cashews but some things you just don't eat together. I had a guy from New Jersey who liked our pizza but wouldn't eat it because it wasn't cut pie-shaped.

There seems to be a bit of a "cult following" for Fat Jacks, especially with folks who have moved away and crave it on visits home. Why do you think this is so?

They grow up here, move away and can't get this style of pizza other places. They remember coming here growing up and it's nostalgia. We hear that a lot around the holidays when people come home and it's one of their first stops.

You've been in the pizza business for more than 30 years. How has the industry changed over the years?

In the 1980s there was a misnomer that pizza was an easy business to get into. They thought it was easy and it's not easy. Then the mom-and-pop explosion hit about 15 years ago. There's been a lot of them come and go. The biggest challenge is competition for food dollars. Lima's had a lot of restaurants over the years. We even watched McDonald's try to put pizza on their menu and that didn't go over. We do offer more than just pizza ... ribs, salads, wings, subs.

Any times when you wish you hadn't gone into pizza?

I started at the Pizza Chef in high school and partnered up with the owner there. Pizza kind of chose me, I didn't choose it. It happened fast. I turned down offers at the refinery and Ford to stay with the pizza business. It's been good. It's good for my family, too. My children are now very active in the business.

How does the weather affect business? Does bad weather mean less pizza?

When the snowstorms hit on weekends, it slows, but business is steady. It hurts a little bit. We get a lot of calls asking if we deliver, which we don't. On a per-order basis, we make too many pizzas to deliver them all. It becomes an issue of quality. You don't want a pizza that rode around in a warmer.

How often do you eat pizza?

Probably twice a week. My boys have been around it all their lives and they still eat it almost daily.

What's your favorite topping?

Pepperoni, mushroom and pepperoncini.

What are your busiest times? What are your slowest?

The Super Bowl is busy and so is Christmas Eve. We're one of the few places open on Christmas Eve and with families gathering, pizza is a natural choice. The carryout does better on Christmas Eve. People are at home and they don't want to cook. The difference between Super Bowl and Christmas Eve is the Super Bowl comes all at once. Everyone wants their food right before kick off. This Super Bowl was better than an average Sunday. Once the game starts, that's it. We get a little movement at halftime, but that's all.

Do you have any record-breaking sales?

This past Christmas Eve we sold 650 pizzas at the West Street store and another 500 at the Findlay Road store.

After pizza, what is your most popular item?

Wings. Ours are baked, not breaded and fried.

Your Web site has a lot on it, including an interactive pizza quiz. How important is technology and the Internet to your business?

I think it helps. The coupons are beginning to get used more and more. This is one you can print off all the time.

Will you ever provide online ordering?

Probably not. We need to have that personal conversation on the phone.